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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · rest · band · suit · branch · last · ruler · sharp

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bulb — for light
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — in cards
  5. rest — what's left
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. suit — to fit
  8. sharp — clever
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. rest — what's left
  12. last — to go on
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. band — a music group
  20. rest — a break
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com